


Connor Anderson

by AX400 (jay_the_timber_wolf)



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Adoption, Artist Markus (Detroit: Become Human), F/M, Hank Anderson Adopts Connor, M/M, Markus and Connor are friends, Markus has a crush on his friend, no beta we die like men/women
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-31
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2019-12-29 23:53:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18304076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jay_the_timber_wolf/pseuds/AX400
Summary: Connor Anderson has always had a bit of a odd life, he's suffering from Autism but it's not so bad since his adopted father Hank helps him when he needs it and is so understanding. His best friend Markus always has his best interests at heart, so when he decides to help Connor expand his friend circle he does it very carefully. North isn't all that sure about the shy boy Markus introduces her to.





	1. Meeting Connor

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not suffering from Autism exactly but I have Asperger's syndrome which is a type of autism. So I know some of the symptoms of autism, I don't know every symptom so don't expect me to get everything right. 
> 
> Btw this chapter will be mosly from North's POV but most of the story will be from Connor's POV.

"Hey North, I want you to meet my best friend so come over to my house later okay?" When Markus had told her this she thought he was pulling some kind of joke and she would be seeing Josh or Simon at his house but when she got there Markus oddly told her not to raise her voice too high. Markus had taken her to the studio where she saw someone she hasn't seen before. He had brown hair and brown eyes, he wore soft looking clothes and didn't have his shoes on at the moment. Once he saw her he darted over to Markus and hid partly behind him his eyes wide.

North wasn't sure what to make of him but Markus was totally calm and ran a hand through the boy's hair. "North this is my best friend Connor Anderson." Connor kept looking at North very unsure of her and North watched as Connor raised his arm to his mouth and started chewing on his jacket sleeve. Now North wasn't sure how to react to this and glanced at Markus for guidance, Markus turned softly to Connor and started gently prodding his arm away from his mouth. "It's okay Connor, North is a friend, there's no reason to be nervous." Connor looked at Markus unsure but looked at North and gave her a somewhat forced smile. North smiled back and held out her hand expecting Connor to shake it but was surprised when he instead licked it gently but one glance at Markus told her this was normal so she didn't jerk her hand away.

Connor smiled more genuine this time and spoke softly. "Nice to meet you North." North smiled at the shy boy. "Nice to meet you too Connor." She said. North learned fairly quickly that Markus and Connor have been friends since they were little and then got a explanation for Connor's odd behavior. "Connor has autism,  he can't handle loud noises so that's why I asked you not to raise your voice." Markus explained. "Why did you decide to introduce us?" She asked. "I want to help Connor expand his friend circle but it's kinda hard when everyone else sees him as odd and a freak. I just wanted to find someone I could introduce him to that wouldn't judge or jump to conclusions." He said.

"Well mission accomplished, I'll do my best not to judge or anything since he is your best friend after all." She said. North wasn't sure if she would get along with Connor but she would give it a shot since this was Markus's friend and besides it's not like he was a bad kid as far as she could tell.


	2. Connor's day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day in Connor's everyday life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please do remember that I don't know everything there is to know about autism so don't judge me if I get something wrong.

Connor waited patiently for the bell to ring, the last bell that would signal the end of the day and that he could go. He really wanted to get home because there it isn't unnecessarily loud and his dog is there. Connor sometimes wishes that he could bring Sumo to school but his dad has already spoken to the school and it wasn't allowed. Needless to say Connor was excited to see his dog after a long day, today hasn't been his day. He woke up not feeling good but he still pushed through until he got to school, there are days that Connor doesn't feel like talking to anyone besides his friends and today was one of those days. And Connor is fairly sure that the sleeve of his jacket was pretty worn at this point considering he's been chewing on it for basically half the day. That was a habit Connor had, to chew on his sleeve when he feels overwhelmed or nervous which happened more today than usual since his sleeve had several tears in it and it was a new jacket he was wearing. 

The bell finally rang and Connor was one of the first ones out the door, he grabbed a taxi to his house and used his key to get in not too surprised that his dad was pulling more hours at the station and greeted Sumo with a few pets before setting his bag on the table. Connor sat down on the floor and kept petting Sumo and paused only when his phone buzzed, he took it out of his pocket and smiled slightly when he saw it was his best friend Markus that was texting him.

**Markus: Hey you free to come over?**

Connor looked at the note his dad left him and smiled when he saw that his dad was alright with him going to Markus's, not like he wouldn't know where he is, all he has to do is leave a note.

**Con: Yup, see you soon?**

**Markus: Duh, see you soon Con**

Connor stood up, left a note for his dad in case he came home before he got back and grabbed the bus to Markus's house. His friend was waiting for him so he ran over and hugged Markus before heading inside. Connor greeted Carl and Leo as well before heading over to the studio where he and Markus usually hung out since it was one of the quietest places in the home and Connor liked painting just as much as Markus did. Markus came in the studio as well and then looked at Connor's jacket sleeve and sighed. "Bad day?" He asked. Connor nodded and picked up one of his favorite brushes to start painting. "Do you want to talk about it?" Markus asked after a bit. Connor shook his head, he didn't know what he would say since he didn't really know what was wrong and he was just having a off day. Markus understood this and didn't press for details and just grabbed a paintbrush to start painting as well. After a while of painting in silence Markus looked at Connor and told him he had to get the door which in Connor's mind meant 'I have someone waiting outside for you to meet, please don't panic.'

Connor frowned at his friend but Markus set a soft hand on his wrist and pushed down gently, his way of saying that everything would be alright before he went off to the door to fetch the person he wanted Connor to meet. Connor and North got along after a while, and by that he meant that North basically adopted him as one of her boys and defend him when needed. Connor kinda wished that North was here now in case this person wasn't as understanding as she had been when they first met. After a few moments Markus returned with a blonde haired boy and Connor did his best to seem friendly, keeping a calm posture and giving the new boy a soft smile but he also kept his center of gravity low in case he needed to make a quick escape. "Simon I would like you to meet Connor, my best friend." Markus and taking his place between them. Connor looked Simon over as the other boy did the same, Simon had bright blue eyes that read peace and love but still Connor was unsure of him. Simon eventually smiled widely at Connor and stuck out his hand probably expecting him to shake it. "I'm Simon, it's nice to meet you Connor." Connor gently took Simon's had and shook it slightly before giving it a lick, he's not sure why he started doing this but it's been there so long he doesn't usually question it. He was kinda waiting to see Simon's reaction to this, Simon looked beyond confused but to Connor's surprise he shrugged it off and kept beaming at Connor. "Nice to meet you Simon." He said after a bit giving Simon one of his rare toothy grins. Connor didn't like smiling too much, he also didn't usually like showing his teeth when he smiles but something about Simon said that he doesn't care about the odd gap in between his two front teeth or the fact one of his teeth was clearly chipped.

And that made Connor comfortable around him, made him drop his walls a lot faster than he had with North. Markus was honestly so glad Connor warmed right up to Simon, he thought that the two would click the moment he met Simon for the first time and it looks like he was right. The two had just met and Connor was already comfortable with Simon enough to give him one of his rare toothy smiles that showed the gap between his front teeth and the chipped tooth from that one time Connor got so excited he fell down the stairs, naturally since he was Connor he just got back up, spite out the bit of tooth, and kept running around. It was a bit before Hank, Connor's dad, let him come over again. After a while Connor had to leave so he could get home before dark and Simon turned to Markus. "What happened to his tooth?" Markus knew he was talking about the chipped tooth. "He fell down the stairs once and chipped it, we were pretty young at the time. But Connor was okay, he got right back up." Markus said. Simon smiled at Markus. "He's a really sweet guy, I'm glad you introduced us, he seems a little odd though." He said. "Connor has autism so he's a bit different than everyone else. I'm just glad you two just clicked, Connor hardly ever shows his teeth when he smiles so that's a bit sign of trust to him." Markus said. Simon nodded and looked at the clock. "I better get going, when do you plan to introduce him to Josh?" Markus frowned for a bit. "I'm not sure, I'll think about it that's for sure." He said.

...

Connor arrived home, glad that he made a new friend that day he was for sure in a better mood than he was after he arrived home from school. Sumo greeted Connor at the door and Connor laughed petting the dog, he started thinking about when they had first got Sumo and it made him smile more.

-

_Hank had heard from several different friends that pets can help with kids like Connor but there was a bit of a problem. Connor got upset easily with loud noises and he was only seven years old. Hank at first thought about getting a cat but quickly learned that wasn't a oipion when he learned Connor didn't really like cats. Hank wasn't sure what to do when Ben gave him a suggestion. "I'm sure there are plenty of quiet dogs in the nearby shelters, maybe you can find one there." So after work Hank visited one of the shelters near the station. "What kind of dog are you looking for?" The lady asked. "I'm looking for a quiet one, prefferably with the patince of a saint. I have a special needs kid and I've heard pets can sometimes help." Hank told her. "I know just the dog, follow me." So Hank followed her. Soon they came to a pen that held a Saint Bernard puppy inside, the dog raised it's head and wagged it's tail but didn't make a sound. "He was dumped near here not that long ago, he's the quietest dog we have and sounds like the perfect dog for your kid." Hank nodded looking at the dog. "How much?"_

_..._

_Hank wasn't sure what Connor's reaction would be to the large puppy, the dog was of course going to get bigger and Hank was kinda worried that it might become aggressive towards Connor but so far the dog has been completely calm and quiet. Hank put the dog in his bedroom before he went to pick up Connor, today seemed to be a good day since Connor was actually at school for the whole day but when Hank got there the little boy had a sour look on his face and was clinging to his friend's arm. Carl explained that a few of the kids in class had been picking on him and trying to force him to talk and that of course made Hank frown. Sure Connor tended to be quiet but that shouldn't be a reason to pick on him! Hank of course wanted to barge into the princal's office and demand the kids picking on his son be punished but one look at Connor told Hank now wasn't the time for that. He told Carl that he would deal with it tomorrow and then took Connor home, Connor naturally didn't say much during the drive but that was alright with Hank but he still asked if he was alright. Once Connor nodded Hank like out a soft sigh glad he was at least not too shaken by what happened today. Once home Connor sat down on the couch and squeezed his dog plushie close to his chest. Hank then remember the dog in his room and sat down next to Connor. "I have a surprise for you." Hank said after a bit. Connor looked up at him, a look on his face that said 'really?'. Hank nodded and stood up. "Wait here okay? I'll be right back." Hank then went to his room and opened the door, the Saint Bernard trotted out calmly and Hank noticed that there wasn't any damage done in his room while he was gone. 'At least he's a calm dog.' Hank thought to himself while he lead the dog to where Connor was waiting._

_Hank let the dog go once it entered the living room and Connor gasped once he saw the dog. Hank was surprised and kinda happy when Connor cried 'puppy!' before leaping off the couch and hugging the dog clear happiness on his face. "He's a Saint Bernard, about eight months old. I got him from the local shelter." Hank said. "What's his name?" Connor asked petting the dog who seemed happy with the attention. "Hm, how about you name him? I got him for you after all." Hank said. Connor seemed to think for a bit before looking at the dog with a smile on his face. "Sumo!" Sumo raised his head and gave a lick to Connor's face and the boy giggled. "Sumo it is than, welcome to the family buddy." Hank said sitting down on the ground with his son. That was the first time Sumo barked, a soft bark like he was using his inside voice and Hank was glad he choose to get the dog._

-

Hank returned home to find his adopted son asleep on the couch with his dog and he smiled at the sight. He's never regretted getting Sumo, sure sometimes he questioned his decision but then he looks at Connor and all the bad things and thoughts dispersed, Connor was always happy when he got to cuddle Sumo and when they got him Hank noticed right away that Connor was spending the whole day at school more often and Connor had started talking much more since Sumo came into their home. Not to mention Hank himself got attached to Sumo himself, Hank would always notice when Connor talked to Sumo. Before getting Sumo the only other times Connor opened his mouth he just made lots of odd noises and Hank wasn't sure what to do about it. But when Sumo came it was like the dog taught Connor the correct way to speak. Whenever Connor babbled oddly Sumo would tilt his head, but when Connor used words to speak Sumo would ruff and make other dog noises, it was like they were talking and Hank soon notice the improvement in Connor's speaking abilities.

Hank ruffled Connor's brown hair and headed into the kitchen to make some dinner for them. Hank made sure to check the day and smiled slightly when he saw it was Thursday, he always got fast food on Thursday so he made a quick call to their favorite pizza place and ordered a large cheese pizza. After he placed the order he glace over at the couch to see that Connor had yet to wake up from his nap, he frowned slightly though when he saw smallish tears in the sleeves of his son's new jacket signaling a bad day. Hank looked down at a drawer he hardly opened anymore, the picture of his first son Cole being inside next to a picture of Gavin Reed. Hank opened the drawer softly and pulled out the photo of Gavin, the detective actually looked happy in this photo his grey eyes holding a slight spark and a smirk on his face, his brown hair slicked back like he always did it. "God Gavin, if only you could see Connor now." Hank muttered softly clearly trying to say something to his former co-worker, Hank put the picture back and slid the drawer closed before he turned to Connor and smiled at the young boy. Hank walked over to the couch and gave Sumo a pat on the head when the dog looked up at him. Sum wagged his tail causing a soft thump against the arm of couch. It took a while but when Hank saw the delivery guy peeking through the window he walked over and opened the door, the younger man name Jimmy was used to delivering to the Anderson residence and knew better than to knock on the door or ring the doorbell since Connor was so sensitive to sound.

Hank payed for the pizza, thanked Jimmy for being quiet since Connor was asleep and made sure to tip the boy before closing the door. Hank set the pizza on the table before he walked back over to Connor and gently started to wake him up. Connor groaned slightly feeling a gentle hand shaking him awake, Connor blinked his eyes open and was immediately greeted with the familiar sight of his adopted dad, his light blue eyes looking happy. "Hey son, I got us pizza for dinner." He said. Connor smiled and sat up, giving Sumo a few pets before the dog hopped off the couch allowing Connor to stand up and walk to the dinning table. At first they ate in silence until Connor spoke up. "Markus introduced me to someone today." Hank looked up in a bit of surprise. Sure Markus told him before hand about his concern for Connor and wanting to expand his friend circle but he thinks it's been about eight months since he introduced him to North and he was expecting Markus to more a little slower than this. "Really? What were they like?" Hank asked. "He was really nice to me, his name is Simon and he didn't ask questions about my habits." Connor said. Hank smiled, he had no doubt that Markus was being careful about who his son met but he was still slightly worried. "That's good to hear, maybe I can meet him at some point but I'm glad you've met a new friend." He said. Connor beamed at Hank and his own lips twitched into a smile. Sure his son was a little odd and he's had to make some adjustments in his life for Connor but to Hank it was all worth it in the end because he loved Connor like he was his own and all this boy deserved in life was to be loved like any other kid out there. Sure Connor was a special needs kid and sometimes he got shit from other people since he's a single father raising him but Hank wouldn't have it any other way because out of a hundred kids Hank would always pick Connor no matter what. 

Because Connor needed someone like Hank and Hank needed someone to take care of, and he decided that that someone would be Connor. Even if Hank could go back to  _that_ day and change something, anything, and it still turned out the way it did he'd still that in Connor because Connor was the most important thing in his life and he would never give that up, especially since the kid needed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now we have sweet little Simon! Not sure when I'll add Josh but he will be here at some point. Anyways that's all for now, bye!


	3. Kara and Luther

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who's the cutest couple in Connor's school? I'll give you a hint, one name starts with a K and the other starts with a L.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, I couldn't write a Detroit story without these two somewhere in it. Enjoy

If you asked Connor who he thought were meant to be together he would give you a answer right away. Kara Williams and Luther Davis. Luther played for the basketball team and was one of the strongest boys in Connor's grade but also one of the nicest jocks Connor has ever known, Luther was known for being a sweet guy that wouldn't hurt a fly unless completely necessary. Kara has been Connor's friend since the first day of middle school and knew each other very well, Kara was sweet and smart, known for her caring personality and good intentions. And naturally after meeting Luther for the first time he immediately shipped the two together because he thought that right away they would be perfect for each other. And when he noticed that both of them had a crush on the other he implored the help of Markus to bring the two together, needless to say the two were a happy couple. And yeah they might have gotten onto Connor for his sneak methods and maybe gotten onto Markus for helping and encouraging him but they both forgave him in the end. Now as Connor walked into the lunch room and saw Kara and Luther being a cute couple he smiled a bit as he walked over to his friends, Markus joining him shortly after. "So how are you guys doing? It's been a alright week for me." Connor said.

"Don't trying to pull that on us Connor, I can see your jacket sleeves on how ripped they are. And you bought that jacket last week." Kara said. Connor looked at the sleeves of his jacket and noticed that they really were ripped. Rather badly at that, that was a sure sign that Connor wasn't having a very good week. He sighed and leaned against his hand. "Okay so I haven't been all that good but it's not been a bad week." He said. "Con I'm pretty sure that it's not been all that good. What's up?" Luther asked making it clear he wasn't going to play Connor's game of emotional keep away. "It's kinda simple, I've just been having bad dreams lately and it's been setting me on edge. That's all." Connor said. None of them looked like they believed him but one glance at Markus told Kara and Luther that the slightly older boy would be talking to his friend later on. After lunch, as the two were walking to class, Markus turned to Connor and stopped them there in the hallway. "Is it really just bad dreams that are setting you on edge or is it something else? Or is it something about the dreams? Remember Connor you can tell me these things." Markus said. Connor sighed and looked up at his best friend but slumped against the wall is silent defet as he began to explain. "I say that their bad dreams but really they're just... odd. And I don't know how else to describe them." He admitted. "Tell me about one, maybe we can figure it out?" Markus suggested.

Connor sighed but obliged. "In one I'm in my house, sitting on the floor with Sumo when the door opens. There's a figure standing in the doorway but I can't make out what they look like, after a bit there's garbled speech and I have no idea what they're trying to tell me, all I can make out is my name. But oddly I'm not afraid of the figure, I actually feel... safe... around it, like I know it wouldn't hurt me. It just wants to see me and make sure I'm okay. In the end I'd always wake up confused about what happened." He said. Markus nodded not completely sure what to make of the dream when the warning bell rang. "We should get to class, can you tell me more about these dreams after school? We can go to your house if you want?" He asked. Connor nodded and they went to class. Connor was honestly glad Markus was willing to listen to him about his dreams since he's been itching to tell someone about the dreams since he started getting them and he knew Markus would never judge him for feeling a little on edge because of some odd dreams. After school the two headed to Connor's house, Markus was glad his friend was willing to talk about these dreams since Connor was usually so secretive about his nightmares and the like. 

Sumo greeted both boys once they walked in the door with a happy, but quiet, bark and a tail wag. Markus of course gave the dog some good pats before turning to his friend ready to help him at least kinda understand these odd dreams. "So we've got figure in the doorway, what's another dream you've been having?" He asked. Once they both sat down on the couch Connor began to explain to Markus another dream. "It always starts out with me in the bathroom, brushing my teeth. But after a bit I can hear the garbled speech again so I look around to try and locate the figure. When I turn back to the mirror I see that my eyes have become a silivery grey color and this time the figure is right behind me. But again I don't feel scared, just very confused by what's happening." He said. "Does the figure ever do anything?" Markus asked out of courisity. "In the latest dream I had all it did was rest a hand on my shoulder, nothing else." Connor said. Markus hummed and thought about it for a long moment before he turned to Connor. "Tell me about the dream where it rests a hand on your shoulder." He requested. "In it I'm sitting on a dock looking out at a lake, the figure is in a boat a little ways out but does after a bit start to row it's way to me. Once it's near the dock it starts talking again but again I can't hear what it's saying so I lean down to try and make it out, once I'm close to it it rests a hand on my shoulder like it'll use my body to get out of the boat. Then I woke up, it's the most recent dream, I had it yesterday." Connor said. Markus hummed as he pets Sumo trying to remember what his friend Josh told him about these kinds of dreams. 

"My friend Josh is the son of a therapist so he knows some things about dreams, I think he told me about dreams like these but I can't remember what it was that he said about them. Maybe I can text him and ask?" He asked looking at Connor. "It might take him a while to answer but alright, I'm okay with that." Connor said. Markus pulled out his phone and started typing, trying to explain what Connor had told him over text wasn't all that easy but with a little time and with Connor acting as editor he found the right words and sent it to Josh. "Think Hank is alright with me staying the night?" Markus asked after a bit. Connor managed to get a hold of Hank who allowed Markus to stay the night as long as Carl was okay with it, which he was of course. After a while Markus got a response from Josh and was a little glad he was already focused on the main reason he was texting him. 

**Josh: has Connor been able to see any features of the figure? Like a beauty mark or scar?**

When Markus asked Connor this his friend thought for a long moment before nodding a little. "I think it had either black or brown hair, it was hard to tell the exact color. Other than that nothing." He said. Markus gave this info to Josh and he responded with something odd.

**Josh: what color is Connor's hair?**

Markus was really confused and raised a eyebrow at the message.

**Markus: he has brown hair, why are you asking?**

**Josh: how well does Connor know his parents?**

**Markus: Connor was adopted by his father when he was a baby and to be honest neither him or I have asked about his birth parents.**

**Josh: why not?**

**Markus: well it's none of my business first of all and second I guess Connor has never really thought about it before.**

**Josh: Okay, can I come over there tomorrow? I'd like to meet Connor in person.**

Markus looked over at Connor and bite his lip. "Josh is wondering if he can come here tomorrow, he wants to meet you in person." He said. Connor started chewing on his sleeve again and then looked at Markus. "Does he know I have autism?" He asked. "I'll tell him."

**Markus: I'm not too sure about that, you can't really use the tricks you learned from your dad on Connor.**

**Josh: why's that?**

**Markus: because Connor has autism, and I don't really want you drawing conclusions about my best friend because you got mixed signals.**

**Josh: oh.**

**Josh: thanks for telling me, I can keep  a open mind when I get there and do my best to not get confused but is it alright with Connor?**

"Are you alright with him coming here Con? Remember you can say no." Markus said. Connor thought about it for a bit petting Sumo so he didn't get too stressed. "I guess, as long as he's alright with Sumo." He said after a moment. 

**Markus: Remind me, do you like dogs?**

**Josh: yes, my dad is a little bit allergic though so I've never had one. Why?**

**Markus: Con has a dog, St Bernard named Sumo. He wanted me to make sure you'd be okay hanging around with Sumo in the room.**

**Josh: yeah, sure, I can handle a dog like that.**

**Markus: cool, see you tomorrow.**

Markus put up his phone and looked at his friend, smiling at the happy look on his face as he pet his dog. "So what do you want to do for the rest of the night?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter will contain josh, yeah for that.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first chapter so it's a bit short but I'll try to make the next chapter a bit longer.


End file.
